The place: Ilha Grande, a real paradise on Earth, down in Brazil.

It's located on the atlantic coast of Brazil, right in front of Angra dos Reis, which is pretty close to Rio de Janeiro (you probably heard before about Rio, did you?). So if you hit Rio, you can't miss this little island. So make sure you schedule a couple of days for it, and you won't regret. Here's a good reason why: the Lopes Mendes beach, which some people consider one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It's a bit windy, but breaks are amazing, and water crystal clear. Weather is warm almost whole year round. And over the top, it's quiet and you will hardly find a crowd.

This beautiful place has been so well preserved because it used to be a prison, later turned into a reserve, which you can access taking a ferry from Angra dos Reis, or taking a fisher boat.

Walking down the streets near the beach, you will find it is full of little restaurants, with friendly owners / cooks ready to serve you the best grilled fish you will try, ever.

Mark C

Surfing Families the New Wave in the Mentawais

Getting wet in the Mentawais just got a lot easier for the majority of surfers on the planet. (the ones with families!). Everyone wants to surf Mentawai but pulling together the minimum group of 6 to 8 guys to charter a boat is about as much fun as herding cats. Getting shacked in perfect Mentawai barrels has always been worth the months of planning and the drama of crossing 100 miles of ocean on a small boat but clearly most surfers who have been through the boat-trip wringer are ready for something more laid back and buffed.

Mentawai Sanctuary have been working overtime to deliver a new composite surf vacation that takes all the stress out of booking and organizing a visit. They are marketing these new surf vacation packages under the m e n t a w a i : : f u s i o n ™ label.

MS Sales Coordinator, Jesse Liddon, explained the concept."If you have ever tried to organize a group to go out on a surf charter you know how much work it is.... and thankless work a lot of the time. Most surfers who try to set up "boys only" or "girls only trips" vow never to do it again!"

The Mentawai Sanctuary team have gone to great lengths to take all the stress out of the booking process and give surfers and their families a lot of choices so they can customize their vacation exactly the way they want it. Everything can be arranged on-line including your deposit and final payment and our resort based packages have no minimum number to confirm a booking. Invite your friends by all means but just give them the website address and let them do the rest themselves. The booking process is backed up by Adventure Engine, the world's biggest portal for on-line adventure packages.

"We are the first surf company in the Mentawais to offer combinations of a week ashore and a week on a live-aboard" Jesse added. Surfers can book as singles, couples or groups and they can mix and match and change dates even while they are out in the islands. "We wanted to spice up the atmosphere and appeal to women.

For more infomation: http://www.mentawaifusion.com

Cape Town has to be one of the most location diverse places on the planet, the cape is a mosaic of inlets, cliffs, mountains and peninsulas that jet out into the ocean from different angles, positions, and directions.

It can be flat in a place like Hout Bay but be bombing just 30 minutes over the hill at Muizenburg. You can go north, south, east, or west from almost any location and find a section of the coast that is facing in just right direction to suck in the swell and create a oceanic playground.

Just click on to magicseaweed.com and pull up the latest reports, pack the car and go get some tasty African waves.